Display device



June 17, 1969 D. s. HOWELL 3,449,848

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Nov. 17. 1966 INVENTOR Z5 32 2 2 DAVID S. HOWELL Z 30 30 4 /Z 2 25 /2 /5 2 Y .62

2a 44 20 BY @MZMQL 4W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 01 ice 3,449,848 Patented June 17, 1969 3,449,848 DISPLAY DEVICE David S. Howell, Troy, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Woodie Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Nov. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 599,682 Int. 'Cl. G091? 7/00, 11/00 U.S. Cl. 40-125 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to display devices for posters or articles and, in particular, to display structures of cardboard or other relatively stiff material wherein the cardboard sheets/or panels also serve as parts of the display structure.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a multi-sided, self-supporting display device of the foregoing character wherein the opposite vertical edges of the stiff poster-carrying display sheets or panels are reversely bent and received within grooves on the inner sides of uprights of approximately W-shaped cross-section and held firmly in position by the resistance of the edge flanges to being bent around the fold lines between them and their respective sheets.

'It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved device of the above character which is efficient, durable and of simple construction whereby it will not only be economical to commercially manufacture, but which also will have a long operational life.

The objects of this invention are accomplished by a construction having a minimum number of component parts so as to approach the ultimate in structural simplicity to thereby create an economy in its manufacture, installation and maintenance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, upon a reduced scale, looking down from above, of a display structure according to one form of the invention;

FIG. 2. is a top plan rview of the display structure shown in FIG. 1, upon a somewhat larger scale, with the central portions of the display sheets or panels omitted; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section looking up- Wa-rd along the line 3--3 in FIG. 1, showing the manner in which the cardboard poster sheets or panels are held in raised positions.

Referring to the drawing in detail, FIG. 1 shows a display structure, generally designated 10, according to one form of the present invention as consisting generally of three double-channel frame uprights 12 into which are fitted the reversely-bent opposite edge flaps of stiff display panels or cards 14 formed of cardboard or other relatively stiff but bendable material. The display advertising is printed or otherwise impressed directly upon the outer surfaces of the display panels or cards 14 or upon separate sheets adhesively or otherwise secured to the panels or cards 14.

Each upright '12 is conveniently produced by extrusion of aluminum and is of approximately W-shaped cross-section with a web 16 having wall portions 18 disposed at obtuse angles to one another and outer flanges 20 disposed at lesser obtuse angles to the wall portions 18 of the web #1 6 and forming with one another an included angle of substantially 60 degrees, if the structure 10 is to form an equilateral triangle. Projecting inwardly from the midportion of the web 16 and bisecting the channel 21 between the outer flanges 20 is an intermediate or partition wall 22. lDisposed along the free edge or inner edge of the intermediate or partition wall 22 are the perpendicular flange portions 23 of angle flanges 24 projecting in opposite directions therefrom and having parallel flange portions 25 projecting toward the web 16. The two angle flanges 24 form with the partition wall 22 two inner grooves 26 which face two outer grooves 28 formed between the outer flanges 20, the web '16 and the intermediate or partition wall 22. Located between and integral with the angle flanges 24 and extending therealong adjacent the inner or free edge of the partition wall 22 is a hollow rib 30 of partially circular cross-section with a channel 32 of approximately circular cross-section therein. The parallel flange portions 25 of the angle flanges 24 have laterally-bent indentations 36 struck inward (FIG. 3) from the portions 25 at equal heights from the lower ends 38 of the uprights 12 to provide stops for holding and spacing the lower edges 40 of the display panels or cards 14 at equal heights from the lower ends 38 and thereby form feet or legs 42 on the lower portions of the uprights 12.

The display panels or cards 14 have main or central portions 44 with the poster-bearing outer surfaces 16 mentioned above. The opposite vertical edges of the central portions are provided with fold lines 46 by which are joined to intermediate flanges or flaps 48 (RIG. 2) which at fold lines 50 are joined to reversely-bent edge flanges or flaps 52 which are of approximately the same widths as the intermediate walls 22 of the uprights 12 and thus fit snugly into the outer grooves 28 thereof so as to have their edges confined in the inner grooves 26. The intermediate flaps 48 are of such widths as to fit snugly into the outer grooves 28 (FIG. 2). Since the display cards 14 are preferably of stiff but somewhat resilient material, the intermediate and edge flaps 48 and 52 tend to spring away from the central portion 44 and away from each other, thereby providing an additional frictional locking effect which, however, is easily overcome by pushing the poster sheets :14 lengthwise into their respective inner and outer grooves 26 and 28 in the uprights 12.

In the assembly of the display structure 10, the display panels or cards 14 of cardboard, plastic, metal or other suitable material are bent along their respective fold lines 46 and 50 to form their intermediate and edge flaps 48- and '52. The assembler holds the flaps 48 and 52- in their bent positions while he inserts them in the outer and inner grooves 28 and 26 and pushes them downward lengthwise until their lower edges 40 encounter the laterally-bent stop indentations 36. This is repeated for each of the display panels or cards '14, resulting in the formation of the relatively rigid display structure -10 of approximately triangular shape shown in FIG. 1, with the lower edges 40 of the cards 14 elevated above the floor level by the legs 42 below the stop indentations 36. Thus the display panels of cards 14 form an important part of the display structure 10 and may be of any desired and suitable width and height without being limited by the necessity of fitting into a framework of rigid or rfixed dimensions as in prior display structures.

Since the display panels or cards 14 are of relatively stiff material, they are also conveniently used for the display of actual articles attached thereto in any convenient manner as by hooks, pegs or adhesive devices. The display panels or cards 14 are optionally made in the form of so-called peg boards with multiple perforations for receiving hooks in any desired location.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment illustrated herein is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the display device of the present invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change WllhOllt departing from the scope of fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A multi-sided, self-supporting display device comprising,

a plurality of upright posts,

one of said posts being provided at each corner of the display device and all of said posts adapted to rest at the lower ends thereof on a suitable supporting surface,

display panels extending between and detachably interconnecting said posts, each of said posts having a pair of longitudinal channels opening toward the interior of the display devices and receiving the marginal edge portions of adjacent display panels, the marginal edge portions of the display panels received within said channels being generally U-shaped in transverse section and being of stiff but resilient material and corresponding in shape to said channels so as to lie flatly against the sides and the bottoms of the channels, and

means on one side of each channel for engaging and slidably retaining the free edge of the display panel disposed therein to seat said panel solidly against the bottom of said channel.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the two channels in each post are separated by a common partition and wherein said means is carried by said partition.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2, wherein the means for each channel is in the form of a laterally and inwardly formed flange on said partition defining an inwardly opening groove for receiving and retaining the edge portion of said panel.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3, wherein the groove defining flanges associated !with the two channels extended laterally in opposite directions from the common partition and are integral therewith.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 1., including means on the lower sides of said channels for supporting said display panels a predetermined distance above the lower ends of said posts.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 3, including indentations in said flanges extending into said grooves adjacent the lower ends of said posts for supporting said display panels.

7. The subcombination comprising a post for use in a multisided, self-supporting display device, said post having a pair of laterally spaced, generally parallel longitudinal channels, one side of each channel being provided with edge retaining means adapted to engage and to detachably hold the marginal edge portion of a display panel in said channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,028,279 6/ 1912 Richardson et al -64 1,566,214 12/1925 Jones et a1. 2,258,560 10/ 1941 Trunzer 40125 2,993,290 7/1961 Bell et a1.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

WENOESLAO J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 40-10 

